Document V345o2X8xGjyKQx3qXeeZDbxo

i: i i have the properties of relative indestructability and resistance to fire. Asbestos has been known for centuries. We find refer ence to tha use of it as a lamp wick a6 early as the 5th century B.C. It is mentioned by such early writers as Pliny the Elder, Herodotus and Plutarch. The material was described by Karco Polo and used by Charlemagne. Benjamin Franklin was the owner of a purse made from asbestos, and asbestos clothing for firemen was used as 'early as 1827. During the latter part of the 19th century, after the discovery of large deposits of a type of asbestos known as chrysotilc in Quebec, there was a considerable development of its use, particularly for building purposes. Pipe covering containing asbestos was developed in 1874. Substantial deposits of a dif ferent type of asbestos, the type known as crocidolite, and later the type known as amosite, were found in South Africa. The spinning process was developed in the latter part of the century. Asbestos cement was first produced in 1903 and the following year the manufacture of asbestos-cement board was begun in the United States. However, it was in World War II that the tremendous increase in the demand for asbestos came, particularly for the manufacture of protective clothing and insulation. Ey 1972, well over 700,000 tons of asbestos were used in the United States -4- 600) & f;. IV ty\. PRODUCED BY FORD